I'm really here!!

So, we got into Beijing the night of the 5th and somehow managed to successfully get a taxi to Matt's friend, Gabe's apartment. It was great. He and his girlfriend Ali are super-welcoming and kind. It's nice to be in a home since we're so far away from ours. They took us out for dinner with another American friend, Danny, and we all had a great time. The food is amazing.

The following day, Matt and I navigated the subway system and arrived at the Forbidden City which we spent several hours exploring. The scale of the place is enormous. It's a giant walled in maze of impressive buildings made for previous Emperors. Then we checked out Tiananmen Square and went out a misguided hunt for "Wangfujing Snack Street" which found found out later is only open at night. After that failed detour (my idea), we took the subway to Temple of Heaven which is a series of temples surrounded by a beautiful park. We practically ran through the thing because it was getting dark.

Then we took the subway home and met up with Ali and Gabe and all went out to dinner with a bunch of their friends. It was quite fun except by the end of the meal, my jetlag was catching up with me and I was falling asleep at the table. Somehow, Mattie has miraculously escaped any sign of jetlag.

It's great here and the city of Beijing is fascinating. You can't see far because of the smog but it's amazing anyway. I'll write more soon and I send my love to everyone. Hugs. -Ell

P.S. Sorry guys, you're just going to have to turn sideways if you want to look at the picture. I'll try to post them upright from now on :)